Studied by 132 people3 media roles
Media consumer, media producer, media citizen
Media consumer
Role we play as media takers - our ability to interpret, digest, and use media FROM media producers
Media producer
Role we play in creating media - social media posts, writing a letter, sharing a story via any medium
Media citizen
Role we play in gauging our rights and responsibilities in the media world
Four eras of communication
Oral and written → Print + electronic → Digital
High vs. Low culture
The value and attachment we develop to mediums based on their age, sacredness, and intellectual formulation. High culture = Shakespeare, Ballet - Low culture = Keeping up with the Kardashians, TikTok challenges
Convergence
The compatibility and accessibility associated with media platforms - multiple mediums accessible from one device
Mass nation
diverse population consumes the same media
niche nation
varied, complex media outreach individualized by algorithms or platforms
mass personal communications
mass media channels with interpersonal relationships: individuals have the technology to reach large audiences
mass media
production and distribution of mediums to large numbers of people
mass communications
process of creating/designing media for large numbers of people
selective exposure
people are drawn to, and search for, information consistent with their personal views
gatekeeper
forces/people that prevent or disrupt flow in the linear model (ex. paywalls, censorship in government, etc)
narrative
story, experience shared
Modern Era
(1800-1950s) Rise of mass communications industries presented opportunity with possible problems
Post-modern era
(1950s- pres.) growing skepticism, hierarchies, and growing cultural/political population influence the media
Media literacy
ability to access and analyze media texts, interpret them, and take action
Affordances
the individual engagement of different media platforms and how they compare to others (ex. photo prominence on instagram, sharing links on facebook posts)
Consensus narrative
standards/cultural themes perpetuated and interpreted by a mass nation within the media (ex. high school in euphoria and gossip girl vs real life)
Media Effects research
attempts to understand, explain, and predict the effects of mass media and society, approaching problems using the scientific method
Cultural studies
attempts to understand the relationship among media texts, the people that consume, them, the institutions that produce them, the technologies used to distribute them, and the culture in which they exist
Public sphere
the space in which debate and argument take place in relation to the media in democratic societies
Communication as culture
communication is a ritual of culture - directly rejects the linear model of communication in media effects research - the innate symbols of culture are communication - “a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed”
Correlation
the narratives within media texts and their relationship with real-world actions/effects
Hypodermic needle model
the media takes advantage of the naive and unsuspecting - we are directly influenced by the media and digest its narratives verbatim
Scientific method
hypothesis, use of independent and dependent variables, random assignment, experiences, content analysis, surveys
Survey research
??
pseudo-polls
voluntary polls with a motive - unreliable in assessing research
content analysis
studying, measuring, categorizing media content to quantify texts
minimal-effects model
media has no effects on human nature
cultivation effect
media influences the way we see and interpret reality with HEAVY intake
uses-gratifications model
we utilize media to satisfy specific needs
third-person effect
we assume the media affects others worse than it affects ourselves
media conglomerate
large corporations that develop through mergers and acquisitions of other companies; enabled by shifting regulations, globalization, and the internet
shifting regulations
regulations on media have gone from no regulation → regulation → deregulation → re-regulation (?) - deregulation allowed media companies to adapt many different channels of media and buy out competitors
globalization
media is international - companies/media conglomerates can buy or create adversary anywhere in the world, thus expanding their influence
the internet
digital convergence makes media more accessible, meaning obtaining, viewing or distributing media is easier than in the past - the internet has allowed conglomerates to combine and distribute their media faster across multi-platforms
Three ways media companies make $
revenue, subscription, advertisements
Media revenue
merchandise, buying books, renting movies - exchange of money for materials/service
subscription
paywall for access
advertisements
leasing a share of limited time
Monopoly
one company dominates and industry
Oligopoly
a few firms dominate an industry
Limited competition
many producers, few products of value
Hegemony
One company exercises disproportionate hierarchical power
Horizontal integration
A company buys out other channels to produce and distribute media and foster their growth
Vertical integration
A company produces all the products, content, platforms needed for their media distribution
Synergy
profit stemming from cooperation between cross-media subsidiaries
Ideology
???
Cultural imperialism
International commerce and the media spread ideas across borders, creating cultural narratives that globalize
First amendment
Protects:
Right to free speech
Right to establish (religion)
Right to assemble
Right to petition
Right to a free press
Authoritarian model of expression
Private ownership of media with censorship laws controlled by the government
State model of expression
Government owns the press, controls all of its content
Social responsibility model of expression
Press functions as an informal fourth estate to monitor the government and check it for abuses of power
Libertarian model of expression
No rules, laws, or regulation regarding media
The United States vs. Sullivan
Established that defamation or libel could only be unlawful if presented with “actual malice,” and otherwise cannot be used to intimidate the press
The “miracle case”
Supreme court ruling that overturned a 37-year precedent that prevented the rights of free expression to film - it allowed the free expression rights of the 1st and 14th amendments to extend to film media
seditious expression
inciting language to overthrow the government - is illegal, especially during times of war as presented in Schneck vs. the United States.
libel
defamation of a public figure with false information - “doing wrong knowing it was wrong” - is not protected under 1st amendment because of fraud and destroying the livelihood of a person
obscenity
pornography, language, forms of expression deemed culturally shun-able - is illegal to protect and preserve decency - controversial, and what is deemed obscene changes with the zeitgeist - obscenity is visual, indecency is action
copyright infringement
misuse of intellectual property; plagiarism, creative commons, profitable margin
Prior restraint
suppression of media that would be libelous or harmful
Defamation
intent to harm a persons reputation and livelihood
Slander
SPOKEN, hearsay information that falsely tarnishes a persons reputation
libel
PUBLISHED information that falsely tarnishes a person reputation
Right to privacy
14th amendment
Gag orders
Judicial power prevents the public from hearing about a case in detail
Shield laws
laws protecting journalists from sharing confidential information about their reporting such as identities of their sources, unpublished material, or notes
FCC
Federal Communications Commission - regulates communication in the united states
Net neutrality
Holding that prohibits internet companies from providing unequal speed/access to the internet based on the websites one visits
Section 230
Protects media platforms from punishment due to unlawful content on published their sites
Tech 5
Meta, Alphabet, Apple, Windows, Amazon
Big 6
Disney, Paramount, Sony, Comcast, AT&T, FOX
Netflix
Not in the Big 6 or the Tech 5 despite being very valuable - was born in the digital age (unlike big 6) but does not make its own products to consume media (unlike Tech 5)
Symbolic annhilation
the absence of representation for a particular demographic - homogenizes or undermines the identity of certain demographics
Representation
“The way in which meaning is given to things depicted in the media” - Stuart Hall
Encoded (internal meaning) and decoded (interpreted meaning) messages engage the audience - important to enriching our media consumption with diverse experiences, symbols
RE-presentation
represented in an unimodular, one vision that only depicts what is seen in the end after many trials
“Standing in for”
the burden of representation - lack of depth to a subject who is there to represent an entire demographic of people
active audience
audience is engaged, interprets, and responds to media to discern encoded and decoded messages
the goal of journalism
objectivity bitchhhhh
criteria of newsworthiness
Timeliness
Proximity
Conflict
Human interest
consequence
usefulness
novelty
deviance
pundit
figureheads with talk shows, NOT broadcast journalists
news
the process of gathering information and making reports that offer selected frames of reference that help people make sense of issues, trends, people, and unusual happenings in everyday life
Enthocentlrism (subjected value)
Journalists are more prone to cover demographics they are familiar with - i.e. Western reporting
Responsible capitalism (subjected value)
Journalists respect capitalism as a trustworthy socioeconomic system
Small-town pastoralism (subjected value)
Big cities are corrupt and cynical, suburbia and small town America is ethical and needs to be protected
Individualism
Journalists seek individuals to represent bigger issues/themselves (i.e. people read about other people)
Note
Flashcard